Well obviously...LOL...but...how does one define short-term
dating? What is considered short-term dating? IMO, why
even have the difference between short-term and long-term
dating? How does one even perceive such a head of
time?

I think short term dating is something like, you want someone to
hang out and be with and sleep with. But you're not in the mood to
have it last forever or you're reconsidering your life plans and
may be moving. Or you're still figuring things out and have no idea
what you're looking for for the long haul, or you're the kind of
person that sees dating as a life experience and want to move from
one person to the next.

Short-term dating can also just be a warning that there's
no guarantee of it lasting for a long time; I'm going overseas at
the end of the summer and wouldn't mind finding someone I could go
stargazing with 'till then, but it would be unfair of me to say
that I'm looking for a multi-year relationship at this point, since
I won't be able to do that.

I'm leaving for grad school in 8 months, so I think short-term
dating fits my situation. I like noctilux's description that
"you want someone to hang out and be with and sleep with" but
that it works around your life plans rather than it being the
center of your plans. I don't like the idea that it's just
a euphemism used by men to get laid--that seems
disrespectful.

I sincerely doubt OkCupid cares to make detailed rules and laws
about what every term means.

Clearly many things are interpreted quite differently by
different people. I think the terms used are obvious enough to use
for sorting profiles, and then the rest is up to communicating with
individuals to see what their personal interpretation is. (Or
just read their profile.)

I saw "casual encounters" as open-ended,but "short-term dating"
as specifically time-limited.When they changed "casual encounters"
to "casual sex",I unchecked it.(I'm open to what is intended to
last or what has potential to last,but not to what is intended not
to last).